Three Features To Krishna’s Ananta Property

“Neither the demigods nor any exalted personalities were there helping Rama, for He acted alone. You should not entertain any doubt on this matter. Indeed, Rama shot feathered arrows, plated with gold, which turned into five-headed serpents that devoured all the Rakshasas. The Rakshasas were oppressed with fear, and wherever they went and wherever they turned, they saw Rama in front of them. In this way, O spotless one, have your Rakshasas been destroyed in the forest of Janasthana by Rama.” (Akampana speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 31.18-19)

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नैव देवा महात्मानो नात्र कार्या विचारणा।
शरा रामेण तूत्सृष्टा रुक्मपुङ्खाः पतत्रिणः।।
सर्पाः पञ्चानना भूत्वा भक्षयन्ति स्म राक्षसान्।
येन येन च गच्छन्ति राक्षसा भयकर्शिताः।
तेन तेन स्म पश्यन्ति राममेवाग्रतः स्थितम्।
इत्थं विनाशितं तेन जनस्थानं तवानघ।।

naiva devā mahātmāno nātra kāryā vicāraṇā।
śarā rāmeṇa tūtsṛṣṭā rukmapuṅkhāḥ patatriṇaḥ।।
sarpāḥ pañcānanā bhūtvā bhakṣayanti sma rākṣasān।
yena yena ca gacchanti rākṣasā bhayakarśitāḥ।
tena tena sma paśyanti rāmamevāgrataḥ sthitam।
itthaṃ vināśitaṃ tena janasthānaṃ tavānagha।।

Travelling back in time is one way to understand God. More than believing that He exists, beyond faith extended to be confirmed only at a later date, after this lifetime ends, come to a firm understanding in the existence of an Almighty being, one who is beyond this world.

In this reverse direction God is known as anadi. He is without a beginning. Travel as far as the mind can conceive, to the beginning of the beginning, and then know that God existed at that time. He is before everyone else, and so He is automatically the oldest person.

Since He is not lacking any feature, Bhagavan, which is another name for God, can be understood by travelling in the other direction, also. Move forward. Contemplate the future. Extend as far out into time as you can imagine, and you get an understanding of the ananta feature.

1. Without end

There is no limit. Consider the end of time. Doomsday. Armageddon. The complete destruction of everything. In Vedic literature we learn that an empowered being takes responsibility at this time.

Mahadeva, the great god, also known as Lord Shiva, destroys that which was previously created by Lord Brahma and subsequently maintained by Lord Vishnu. Time does not stop after this event. Markandeya Rishi observed one of these periods of destruction and noticed that a small boy on a banyan leaf was not bothered at all:

स त्वं भृतो मे जठरेण नाथ
कथं नु यस्योदर एतद् आसीत्
विश्वं युगान्ते वट-पत्र एकः
शेते स्म माया-शिशुर् अङ्घ्रि-पानः

sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha
kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt
viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ
śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ

“As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.33.4)

That boy was Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is never with an end. Ananta means that we can travel as far into the future as we can conceive and we will always find the Supreme Lord, as powerful as ever.

2. Unlimited

Ananta also means that Bhagavan is without limits. In the temple we see His statue worshiped on the altar, alongside the statue of His eternal consort, Lakshmi Devi. The figure has a certain height, width and weight, but we should not be fooled by the visual.

The Supreme Lord can become heavier than anything we imagine. When the whirlwind demon named Trinavarta took baby Krishna high into the air, he figured it would be an easy path forward. He did not expect that Krishna would suddenly become too heavy to hold. So heavy, in fact, that He caused the demon to fall from the sky, hitting the ground and meeting his death.

Though Bhagavan gives the visual of a human-like bow-warrior as Shri Rama, the weapons are unlimited in number. They always reach their intended target, no matter how much the enemies run. Akampana once gave his eyewitness testimony of this amazing truth to the ten-headed Ravana.

Rama was one against fourteen-thousand. But since Rama is ananta, it wasn’t a fair fight. His arrows chased the enemy to wherever they went. In the end, they saw the arrows giving the visual of a five-headed serpent, signaling guaranteed defeat and death.

3. Never any death

Since Bhagavan is ananta, He never dies. There is no way I can prove this through the scientific method. Even if I personally observed His vibrancy, where Krishna is standing next to me, for a million years, that amount of time is insufficient for establishing an infinite existence.

We accept the information on faith, at first. The acharya of the Vaishnava tradition explains these truths to us, and then we validate through dedicated practice in devotion, through activities such as chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

In whichever direction to go,
Arrows chasing them so.

Like serpents showing heads five,
While warrior Rama still alive.

Ananta property on display,
To the demons’ dismay.

Infinite into future like this amend,
Seeing devotion’s bliss to extend.

Three Features To Krishna's Anadi Property

“You are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.19)

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अनादि-मध्यान्तम् अनन्त-वीर्यम्
अनन्त-बाहुं शशि-सूर्य-नेत्रम्
पश्यामि त्वां दीप्त-हुताश-वक्त्रं
स्व-तेजसा विश्वम् इदं तपन्तम्

anādi-madhyāntam ananta-vīryam
ananta-bāhuṁ śaśi-sūrya-netram
paśyāmi tvāṁ dīpta-hutāśa-vaktraṁ
sva-tejasā viśvam idaṁ tapantam

The acharya of the Vaishnava tradition claims that it is not difficult to understand God. Forget the dividing line of acceptance/rejection or faith/belief. Use the intellect gifted by nature. The enhanced potential for intelligence is there for a reason.

It still doesn’t require years of study under an advanced scholar to come to a general idea of who God is. Understand a few basic truths and you will have made significant advancement in the purification of the consciousness.

1. First living entity

Look around you. That dual-monitor setup in your home office. That mattress resting on that metal foundation. The carpet spread across the ground. The blinds hanging from the windows. The ceiling fan along with its light bulbs. The light switch on the wall and the chair to enjoy hours of work or video viewing.

Everything has an origin. The monitors arrived through the delivery of a package. Prior to that there was the factory where the assembled parts came together. Before that was the concept-design phase. An intelligent person had to decide which materials to use and what features to include.

“What kind of outputs will the monitor support? How large of a screen size? What about compatibility with docking stations? Screen resolution? Refresh rate? Let’s make this so great that everyone will want to buy one.”

The objective of this review is to illustrate the reality of a beginning to everything. Keep ascending the chain of hierarchy and eventually you reach someone without a beginning. In other words, He is before everyone else. That is one way to understand God.

This feature is known as anadi in Sanskrit. The word is a negation. God is without “adi”, or beginning. This means that He is also the original beginning, if we can grasp that concept. Since He is anadi, God is also the adi-purusha, or the first person.

2. Oldest living entity

We marvel at someone who can make it to one hundred years of age. It is no small accomplishment. This world is a dangerous place. At every step there is the potential for fatal injury. A new disease gathers momentum and creates massive panic throughout society. Suddenly, everyone is walking around with surgical masks on and the stores are out of stock of hand sanitizer.

Since the Supreme Lord is anadi, it means that He is the oldest person. As many years as we can count, He has been alive. As the spirit soul has no beginning and no end, the same applies to the original source of the universe.

3. No signs of aging

Despite being without beginning and having claim to the largest number attached to His age, there is no sign of aging in Bhagavan. This is another name for the anadi Supreme Lord. He is full of transcendental features, which are considered opulences to anyone else.

Vedic literature describes one instance where the oldest person delivered timeless wisdom on a battlefield. At the time Shri Krishna was well advanced in years, in terms of the human calculation based on the moment of exit from the womb of mother Devaki.

Over one hundred years had passed since that time and yet Krishna showed no signs of aging. His body appeared fresh and new, like someone just entering the teenage years. The Sanskrit description is “nava-yauvanam.”

Though He is anadi, God is forever young. That property extends to the devotion dedicated to Him. This explains why activities like chanting the holy names can continue blissfully, day after day, year after year, and lifetime after lifetime: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Like remaining forever young,
Where aging never to come.

Of anadi property a part,
God even before the start.

Since with best features to see,
And all-attractive is He.

As Shri Krishna is known,
Timeless through devotion shown.

Why Don't Asuras Leave The Suras Alone

“Rama showed His tremendous knowledge of fighting by killing the demon Tataka. The muni then gave to Him knowledge of secret mantras to be used in fighting.” (Janaki Mangala, 36)

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बधी ताड़का राम जानि सब लायक।
बिद्या मंत्र रहस्य दिए मुनिनायक।।

badhī tāṛakā rāma jāni saba lāyaka |
bidyā mantra rahasya di'e munināyaka ||

Friend1: I was thinking recently about the pastime with Shri Rama in the forest with Vishvamitra.

Friend2: Where Rama is accompanied by His younger brother Lakshmana?

Friend1: Yes. This is after Vishvamitra had asked King Dasharatha for protection.

Friend2: You know, your average request of:

“Hey, can you spare your two beloved sons? It’s no big deal; I just need help defending myself against vile killers who attack in the night.”

Friend1: Who mask their shapes so as to not be noticed.

Friend2: There were no WiFi security cameras around at that time. No night-vision goggles.

Friend1: But I’ve heard it said that Rama can identify people based on sound.

Friend2: He is antaryami, after all. The Supreme Lord is the all-pervading witness. Yes, in His incarnation as the bow-warrior named Rama there was the ability to shoot arrows to meet their target without requiring sight.

Friend1: This wasn’t shooting blindly, either. Anyway, I was particularly meditating on the incident with Tataka.

Friend2: The female Rakshasa who was harassing the saintly people in the forests?

Friend1: That’s her. I just don’t understand why someone would do that.

Friend2: Bother sages or go to the forest and live there permanently?

Friend1: The first one. As you said, these are sages. They aren’t bothering anyone. They are retreating from the daily pressures of ordinary life. Free of distractions, they can concentrate on yajna.

Friend2: The Rakshasas attacking from Lanka were particularly focused on the timing. They would pounce just as a yajna was ready to complete. Something like watching a person build a puzzle for hours. Once they are ready to insert the final piece, you come along and destroy the whole thing.

Friend1: Except this was much more serious than a puzzle. Why would someone do that? Why would a person attack in such a horrible way, without being noticed? What was there to gain? It’s not like the sages were hiding gold in their huts.

Friend2: Well, what do you think the reason was?

Friend1: Other than asuras are just horrible people?

Friend2: They have the worst qualities. It is saintly to leave people alone, to not interfere with their lives. Saintly people tend to respect even the animals and insects that enter their home.

Friend1: Okay, but if you are not a saintly person you don’t have to go to that extreme. Why not just leave others alone?

Friend2: Because suras are always a threat to the asuras. In this case, there was the direct correlation to the demigods. By performing yajna, the administrators of this material realm receive strength. These leaders are put into that position by the Supreme Lord. Asuras are against God; by extension they are against His administrators.

Friend1: Okay, but those demigods will help the bad guys on occasion. You can worship them and gain tremendous power and influence.

Friend2: Why worship them when you can defeat? Why falsely pay homage when you can cut off their source? By removing the influence of good in the world, evil has a clear path towards dominance.

Friend1: But why would you want to live like that? I don’t understand.

Friend2: It is inherent in the travel to the material world. Dominate. Enjoy. Compete with others. They are asuras for a reason. There is justification for Shri Rama to personally intervene. He protects the devotion of the devotees. Tataka cannot hide behind the false excuse of being a female.

Friend1: There is that issue, too. Change shapes. Attack in secret. Then invoke some principle of dharma to protect yourself, when it is convenient.

Friend2: Rama is mindful of the codes of dharma, but Vishvamitra insists that lethal force be applied. Rama is ready to follow the instructions of those who are devoted to Him. This means that He can help me in my fight against the asura-mentality through the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

Help in this effort granting,
Against obstacles for chanting.

Like for sages providing relief,
From asuras endless grief.

Arrows in air their targets found,
Rama fighting using only sound.

The best protection for saintly life,
Ever devoted to He and His wife.

Four Aspects To The Marriage of Krishna To Rukmini

“While Rukmini was being given in charity to Shishupala, she was snatched from the marriage arena by Krishna, exactly as Garuda snatched the pot of nectar from the demons. Rukmini, the only daughter of King Bhishmaka, was exquisitely beautiful. She was known as Ruchiranana, which means ‘one who has a beautiful face, expanding like a lotus flower.’” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 51)

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1. The timing

A large number of years grouped together for analysis purposes. The beginning marked by the start of a population and the end by the complete destruction of the surrounding area. Then the process repeating. After many such cycles you get the complete devastation of the universe, but even that is not the final outcome. As the individual is spirit soul, so the universes, directed by the original and most powerful soul, appear and disappear on a continuous schedule.

सहस्र-युग-पर्यन्तम्
अहर् यद् ब्रह्मणो विदुः
रात्रिं युग-सहस्रान्तां
ते ऽहो-रात्र-विदो जनाः

sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ
rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ
te ‘ho-rātra-vido janāḥ

“By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.17)

One cycle of the appearance of the human population is known as a yuga. This period then gets divided into four smaller periods, also known as yugas. The marriage of Shri Krishna and Rukmini Devi takes place in the third age, known as Dvapara.

This time period is noted for its appearance of God in His svayam-rupa. Shrimad Bhagavatam says, “krishnas tu bhagavan svayam.” There may be many incarnations, full or partial, but Krishna is God Himself. The two-handed, beautiful youth who never ages according to bodily appearance, carrying the flute in His hand and wearing the peacock feather in His hair, the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, the delight of the residents of Vrindavana, is also the husband to Rukmini.

2. The place

The marriage took full effect in Dvaraka, the kingdom ruled by Krishna at the time, who was in His adult years. But the epicenter of the dramatic events was the kingdom of Vidarbha, which was ruled by King Bhishmaka. He was Rukmini’s father. Krishna travelled to that place from Dvaraka, and He later returned home with His first bride.

3. The characters

The story is well known today because of the involvement of Krishna. His deeds recorded by eyewitnesses and passed on to future generations in Vedic literature are collectively described as lila. These are Divine pastimes.

One way to decipher the extraordinary nature is to witness the effect of hearing. If I hear the story of the marriage of an average person, there may be delight the first or second time. Such stories certainly cannot be relished every day, no matter how wonderful the tale.

With Shri Krishna, His deeds can be heard, studied and contemplated countless times, spanning many years. For devotees dedicated in service to Him, hearing just the story of the marriage to Rukmini can bring pleasure day after day.

Bhishmaka is a central character, as is his eldest son, Rukmi. The family had decided the marriage of Rukmini should take place to Krishna. The qualities matched. There was desire on both sides. Both would be willing participants. Nothing forced on anyone, even though the father had final say.

Rukmi had other plans. He arranged the marriage to Shishupala, instead. This was a great enemy of Krishna. A horrifying ordeal for Rukmini, to face the prospect of a lifetime spent with someone of such bad qualities.

4. The story

Rather than sit in her room and lament the situation, Rukmini took fate into her own hands. She was a pure devotee of Krishna, but she did not expect the Supreme Lord to simply do all the work. As the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves.

Rukmini devised a plan whereby Krishna would appear on the scene on the day of the marriage to Shishupala and take her away. She confidentially relayed the proposal to Krishna through a messenger from the kingdom.

Events played out exactly in her favor. Many rival princes attacked Krishna as He went through with the Rakshasa-style of marriage. There was nothing they could do. The will of the Divine would not be denied.

Rukmini Devi is an incarnation of the goddess of fortune, so she cannot have a husband other than Narayana, the Supreme Lord who is the source of men. Those against Krishna may appear to be on the verge of victory, that their desires will be saphala, but the Divine forces have something else to say.

In Closing:

Seeming to go his way,
But Divine something else to say.

That Shishupala denied,
Despite attacking tried.

Where Krishna away taking,
And Rukmini His bride making.

From Bhagavata most wonderful tale,
To delight today without fail.

Should I Copy The Bhagavatam And Give It In Charity

“If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Shrimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 12.13.13)

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प्रौष्ठपद्यां पौर्णमास्यां
हेम-सिंह-समन्वितम्
ददाति यो भागवतं
स याति परमां गतिम्

prauṣṭhapadyāṁ paurṇamāsyāṁ
hema-siṁha-samanvitam
dadāti yo bhāgavataṁ
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim

Friend1: I heard some interesting history about the Shrimad Bhagavatam recently.

Friend2: Explain what that is.

Friend1: The Bhagavata Purana.

Friend2: Is that another name for it?

Friend1: Yes. It is a book. Actually, the Puranas are ancient stories. Timeless. Purana references something old.

Friend2: What language are we speaking of here?

Friend1: Sanskrit. This is the Vedic tradition. Commonly known today as Hinduism, but the genuine thing. It is sanatana-dharma, or the eternal way of living for the living being, the spirit soul. The idea is that there is originally one Veda. This is the single source of knowledge. As time passes within the span of a particular cycle of creation or population, the learning ability diminishes.

Friend2: Why is that?

Friend1: I don’t know, exactly. That is the influence of time. Further degradation due to separation from the original culture. Something like future generations within a family taking to drug and alcohol addiction and spoiling all the work of the ancestors.

Friend2: I see.

Friend1: Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is so kind that He accommodates the population. He helps them to understand by dividing the Veda into four; hence today what is known as the Vedas. The same principles presented through story form, if people prefer. There is the Mahabharata and the many Puranas.

Friend2: I see. These are like stories intended to teach lessons at the same time.

Friend1: Historical accounts, but ones that you can read repeatedly. They are not of the mundane variety, where you read once and then cast aside. Anyway, of the many Puranas the Bhagavata is considered the best. This is because the central focus is Bhagavan, the personal side of God, and service to Him.

Friend2: Okay.

Friend1: Anyway, so what I heard recently is that giving the Bhagavatam as a gift on a particular day in the year yields tremendous benefits.

Friend2: There is a verse in the Bhagavatam which describes this. The person making the donation achieves the supreme destination, paramam gatim.

Friend1: I heard even more interesting facts surrounding this practice. It is not that I simply have a bound copy printed off and then make the donation. The practice was for a learned brahmana to copy the work by hand. There weren’t many copies around in the days of yore.

Friend2: That is how seriously the work was taken. It is something like visiting a museum and seeing a valuable artifact. It had to be kept safe. You don’t want to cheapen the work by letting it get into the wrong hands.

Friend1: So, speaking of hands, do you think it is worth it if I copy the work myself and give it away in charity?

Friend2: Are you serious?

Friend1: It was an idea. I mean if I am automatically getting liberation as a result, why not?

Friend2: Do you know how to write Sanskrit?

Friend1: I do not.

Friend2: Then how are you going to copy thousands of verses by hand?

Friend1: Oh. I didn’t think of that. Should I learn, then? I’m assuming the benefit is there because by coming in contact with the words, the sacred sound gets automatically produced within the mind. Thus I am hearing Bhagavatam. From hearing I achieve liberation.

Friend2: Absolutely, but you don’t have to go that far. Why endeavor to an extraordinary length, when all you have to do is become a devotee of Krishna? He promises in the Bhagavad-gita that His devotees reach the same supreme destination.

मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य
ये ऽपि स्युः पाप-योनयः
स्त्रियो वैश्यास् तथा शूद्रास्
ते ऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम्

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim

“O son of Pritha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth-women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.32)

It doesn’t matter what you are, either. You could be illiterate. You could be lacking ability in composition, but if you are devoted to the all-attractive one, the same benefit awaits.

In Closing:

Spirits forever to lift,
From Bhagavatam as gift.

Sacred sounds to hear,
Hurdle of samsara to clear.

Copying thus with promise made,
But not needed in endeavor to wade.

Just devotee of Krishna become,
And same benefit to come.

The Spirit Soul Of Krishna's Entourage

“In sarupya liberation the bodily features of the devotee are exactly like those of the Supreme Person but for two or three symptoms found exclusively on the transcendental body of the Lord. Shrivatsa, for example, the hair on the chest of the Lord, particularly distinguishes Him from His devotees.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.29.13 Purport)

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“The introductory teaching of Vedanta study is so important. Athato brahma-jijnasa is the call to arms. Wake up. Pay attention. You have finally made it to the human birth. This is rare. Don’t think it is not something worth celebrating. You should be pleased. You should feel some sense of accomplishment.

“Now, listen up. Make it count. Inquire into Brahman. Learn about the spiritual nature. You did not have that chance before. This is so important, and the person who does follow through learns right away of the difference between spirit and matter.

“Shri Krishna also covers this topic at the beginning of the famous conversation with Arjuna. The idea that identity is really something different from what we normally take it to be. The body is always changing. At every moment, but especially visible in the transition through different stages of life, such as boyhood, youth, adulthood, and old age.

“Learning of this key distinction is the first part of the education curriculum. The final outcome, the effect of the information transfer, if you will, is liberation. This is release from the cycle of birth and death. Superior to the human birth itself, there is no question of being compelled to take birth again.

“My question relates to the life in liberation. I know that one of the possible rewards is becoming an associate to Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is the nature of the spirit soul of these associates? I know that they are not bodiless, so what is the makeup of those bodies? What kind of elements go into the constitution?”

The idea is that liberation is the end to the dichotomy. The body-spirit paradigm no longer applies. In the life of liberation, the hand can indeed identify who I am. It is neither ever-changing nor an aspect subject to the influence of time.

After all, it is time, known as kala in Sanskrit, which is the agent forcing the change. Kala led to my present birth. Time manipulated the material elements and those forces controlling the elements to create the situation of my emergence from the womb of my mother.

The presence of spirit inside allows for development of the body, but it is time which brings the end result. I am sitting here reading or hearing these words with the senses I have, and those senses came to me in part because of the influence of time.

In the spiritual world time is present, but it lacks the debilitating influence. It does not change anything relating to the individual. There is oneness in terms of body and spirit. The concept of a spiritual identity is absent. The residents of the imperishable realm are not even aware of dharma. There is no such thing as right or wrong, pious or impious, because there can be no effect on the development of the body.

In one kind of liberation a person receives a body similar to the Supreme Lord’s. This is with the form of Narayana, who has four hands and is opulently adorned. The associates are all just like Narayana, except the real God has a distinguishing mark on His chest.

Devotees are not so interested in such kinds of liberation. They already break free of the body-spirit distinction through their efforts in devotion, which qualify as yoga. If I am a yogi in this life, following the devotional path, then I will be assured of the best and appropriate destination in the future.

In Closing:

Of best future to earn,
No worry of return.

That body-spirit line dividing,
Liberation the end providing.

Even if to Narayana the same,
Still to relish His holy name.

No influence debilitating time,
Narayana in effulgence to shine.

Three Places That Are The Same For Servants Of Narayana

“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.17.28)

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नारायण-पराः सर्वे
न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व्
अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिनः

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ

1. The heavenly planets

This is the reward for pious behavior. When you see a person growing up in a family following the Vedic tradition perform some ritual in their house, when they fast on a certain day, when they give in charity to specific people at a specific time of the year – the purpose is most often to accumulate pious credits.

These are known as sukriti in Sanskrit. You can use the comparison to an indoor arcade or playground. At the establishment you purchase a card that has a certain dollar amount on it. That amount then translates to time on different games and rides. With every experience in enjoyment, the balance depletes. Once it reaches zero, the balance has to be reloaded.

As money does not grow on trees, there has to be some work in order to receive money. We can equate that with piety for this context. Sin would be something that prevents the accumulation of money, or that which causes the loss of the balance for an unintended reason.

Bhagavad-gita describes the heavenly planets to be a place of extended and enhanced material enjoyment. We get glimpses of heaven in our earthly experience, and so we can correlate by multiplying the effect, in theory.

2. The hellish planets

The concept is almost identical, except the work is on the opposite end. Impious behavior. Sin. Killing people for no reason. Stealing the fruits of someone else’s labor. Dishonesty as a habit. Addiction to illicit behaviors, like gambling and associating with prostitutes.

We have experience of hellish life already, and so the destination of the hellish planets, patala-loka, is just a more extreme version of the same. Extended pain and suffering. Desperately wanting escape, but seemingly no hope in sight.

3. Liberation

As heaven and hell are both part of the material world, the residence in either place is not fixed. We get confirmation from the Bhagavad-gita, where Krishna describes how after many years of enjoyment in svarga-loka, a person is forced to leave. This is upon expiry of their pious credits.

ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्ग-लोकं विशालं
क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्य-लोकं विशन्ति
एवं त्रयी-धर्मम् अनुप्रपन्ना
गतागतं काम-कामा लभन्ते

te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ
kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti
evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā
gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante

“When they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve only flickering happiness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.21)

Liberation, mukti, is the enjoyment accompanying release from the cycle of birth and death. This means that liberation is more or less a permanent achievement. It is a bodiless state in that the dichotomy between spirit and the temporary form covering it ceases. There is only one identity.

To help in understanding, there is one kind of mukti where the reward is the same type of body as Narayana. This is a bluish complexion with four hands and opulent ornaments decorating the body. Everyone looks the same in that destination for that liberation, except the real Narayana has the Shrivatsa mark to distinguish Himself from others. He is always the Supreme Lord, after all.

There is a verse in Shrimad Bhagavatam which describes the mood of the servants of Narayana. They do not mind heaven, hell or liberation. It is all the same to them. A similar comparison is made by Maharishi Valmiki in the Ramacharitamanasa. He remarks that devotees of Rama, who is an incarnation of Narayana, do not mind even going to hell, since they always see the beautiful husband of Sita standing there, holding His bow and arrow.

This is the key distinction. Eternal sight. Not that they carry a physical, visibly manifest form of Narayana with them wherever they go. The sight is the byproduct of a pure consciousness. They have the spiritual vision. They know that the entire creation belongs to Narayana. Therefore, they see Him everywhere. They do not make distinctions between good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant.

Studying this feature, what wise person wouldn’t take up service to Narayana? The process is easy. Simply chant the holy names and begin the transformation into purification: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

For them not important to tell,
Distinction between heaven and hell.

Experience really the same,
Since relishing His holy name.

Like Valmiki the poet to know,
That seeing Rama standing with bow.

This achievement most worthy to try,
The experience an unparalleled high.